JPH06118844A - Toner recovering device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always consecutively detect whether a recovery bottle is attached or not and whether it is filled up by the same detecting sensor by providing a toner sensor which inputs the fixed amount of light or vibration in the recovery bottle and detects the input through the recovery bottle. CONSTITUTION:A toner detection part is formed to be expanded on one part of the side wall of the recovery bottle 4, and the toner sensor 6 is provided to be fixed on a copying machine side on the outside of the toner detection part. Then, an input device 8 supplies power necessary for operation to the toner sensor and a controller 7. A photoelectric current by the toner sensor 6 transmits a signal in accordance with the state (a set state and a fullness state) of the bottle 4 to a signal output circuit 10 by judging the state of the bottle 4 by an amplification/detection circuit 9 in the controller 7. The circuit 10 transmits a display signal in accordance with the signal from the circuit 9 to a display device 11, and the device 4 displays the state of the bottle 4 so as to inform an operator.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner collecting device for collecting and containing discharged toner in a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus using a dry developing method, the discharged toner removed from the surface of a photoconductor is not returned to the developing apparatus as it is, but is collected in a discharged toner collecting section using an auger of a cleaning device. I try to collect it in a bottle. Therefore, in this type of device,
It is easy to forget to attach the collection bottle or to make an operation mistake that the device is operated while the collection bottle is full, and the optical device and the movable machine are contaminated with toner, which causes deterioration of illumination and malfunction.

Therefore, as means for preventing such an operation error, (1) JP-A-56-126879, JP-A-64-983, JP-A-61-63878, and JP-A-63-174088. Some of them are provided with both a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a recovery bottle and a sensor for detecting the fullness of the discharged toner in the recovery bottle. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-163979, a light-shielding member for detecting fullness is attached to and detached from a collection bottle, and (3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-241585. , A full detection and a bottle presence / absence detection are performed by changing the light emission amount of the light emitting element of the sensor.

[0004]

In the prior art described above, in the prior art of (1), the presence or absence of a bottle and fullness detection are performed by the change in the weight of the recovery bottle.
There is a problem of increase in size and complexity of the detection means, accompanying increase in cost, and reliability. Further, in the conventional technique of (2), since the light-shielding member and the collection bottle are attached / detached together, the attachment / detachment method is mechanically restricted, and it is impossible to determine whether the collection bottle is not attached or full. was there. Furthermore, in the prior art of (3),
Since the light emission amount of the light emitting element of the sensor is changed depending on whether the bottle is present or not, the sensor life is short and the control function is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the same detection sensor for detecting the presence / absence (not mounted) of a recovery bottle and full detection is used, and at the same time without changing the input to the detection means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner collecting device for an image forming apparatus, which can solve the problems in the above-mentioned respective prior arts by enabling continuous detection.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the toner collecting device of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention collects the waste toner scraped off from the photosensitive member by the cleaning device 1 and the collecting bottle 4. In the toner collecting device of the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the toner sensor serves as an input unit for applying a certain amount of light or vibration input to the collecting bottle 4 and a detecting unit for detecting the input via the collecting bottle 4. It has a configuration in which 6, 12 are provided.

[0007]

[Operation] When the detection means detects the input of light or vibration applied to the collection bottle 4 from the input means of the toner sensors 6 and 12, the detection value is detected by the detection means of the collection bottle 4. It changes depending on the presence / absence and the amount of toner collected in the collection bottle 4. Therefore, the presence or absence of the recovery bottle 4 and the amount of recovery toner in the recovery bottle 4 can be known by reading the value detected by the detection means by the single toner sensor 6, 12.

[0008]

[Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 and 5. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a cleaning device, and this cleaning device has a brush and a blade (not shown), which are rubbed against an image carrier which moves endlessly to scrape off the toner remaining on the image carrier to carry the image. The body is always cleaned. Reference numeral 2 denotes a toner carrying auger for carrying the discharged toner 3 scraped off by the brush and blade to one side, and a recovery bottle 4 is detachably attached to the outlet side of the toner carrying auger 2.

A toner detector 5 is formed on a part of the side wall of the recovery bottle 4 so as to bulge out. A toner sensor 6 is provided outside the toner detector 5 and outside the toner detector 5 on the copying machine side. It is fixedly attached to. The toner sensor 6 sandwiches the toner detecting unit 5 so that the light emitting unit 6a is located on one side and the light receiving unit 6b is located on the other side, so that the amount of light passing through the toner detecting unit 5 can be detected. It has become. The toner sensor 6 uses a sensor such as an infrared ray using a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and keeps the light emission amount of the light emitting element constant. When the photo-current of the sensor is measured by changing the light transmittance of the light-shielding member in the sensor detection unit, the photo-current and the light transmittance have a linearly proportional relationship as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the change in the light transmittance of the toner detection unit 5 of the recovery bottle 4 with respect to the toner sensor 6 is set to fall within the range of 10 to 20%. Further, the toner detection unit 5 of the recovery bottle 4 is connected to the toner sensor 6 unit.
When there is no light, the light transmittance is 90% or more.

In the above configuration, the presence or absence of the recovery bottle 4 and the inside of the recovery bottle 4 are filled by detecting the change in the light transmittance of the light receiving section 6b while the light amount of the light emitting section 6a of the toner sensor 6 is kept constant. Can be detected. That is, when the recovery bottle 4 is not attached, the light transmittance by the toner sensor 6 is close to 100% and is in the range of D shown in FIG. 4, so that the photocurrent is in the range of D ′ at this time, and the photocurrent value is It can be seen that the collection bottle 4 has not been attached by reading. If the collection bottle 4 is set correctly,
The light transmittance of the toner detecting portion 5 is 80 to 90%, and C shown in FIG.
, And the photocurrent at this time is C ′. By reading this, it can be seen that the recovery bottle 4 has been set correctly.

By performing the copying operation in this state, the discharged toner is collected in the collecting bottle 4. When the amount increases and becomes almost full, the discharged toner in the recovery bottle 4 begins to enter the toner detection unit 5, and the light transmittance gradually decreases until it becomes full as shown in the range B of FIG. I will do it. Therefore, the photocurrent at this time is B '. When the toner detection unit 5 of the recovery bottle 4 is filled with the discharged toner, the light transmittance falls to 10% or less and falls within the range A shown in FIG. 4, and the photocurrent at this time becomes A '. Thus, it is possible to know that the inside of the collection bottle 4 is full.

In the above, the four photocurrent values A ', B', C ', D'from the toner sensor 6 are detected by the control device 7 shown in FIG. 5, and signals corresponding to the respective states are issued, Alternatively, it is possible to automatically notify the operator of the set state and the full state of the collection bottle 4 by displaying it. In FIG. 5, the input device 8 supplies power necessary for operating the toner sensor 6 and the control device 7,
It is usually equipped in a copier or the like. The photocurrent from the toner sensor 6 determines the state of the recovery bottle 4 by the amplification / detection circuit 9 in the control device 7 and transmits a signal according to the bottle state to the signal output circuit 10. The signal output circuit displays a display signal corresponding to the signal from the amplification / detection circuit 9 on the display device 1.
1 and the display device 11 displays the bottle state to inform the operator.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment, which is different from the above-mentioned embodiment in that the toner sensor 12 does not utilize light, but detects a change in the vibration frequency of the diaphragm. Is. That is, when a constant frequency is applied to the collection bottle 4 from the vibration plate of the toner sensor 12,
Due to the change in the amount of toner in the collection bottle 4, the collection bottle 4
The amount of toner in the recovery bottle 4 is detected by detecting the change in the vibration frequency by utilizing the fact that the vibration frequency applied to the component changes at a constant rate. Further, in this case, when the recovery bottle 4 is not attached, the diaphragm itself is not attached to the copying machine, which can be immediately understood.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the presence / absence (not attached) of the recovery bottle can be detected by the same detection sensor as that of the full bottle, and can be continuously detected at all times without changing the input to the detection means. . In particular, in the case where the toner sensor uses an optical sensor, since the light emission amount of the light emitting element is used constant, it is not necessary to extend the life of the sensor and change the light emission amount. The state of can be detected. In the case of using a diaphragm, the same effect can be obtained by making the input to the vibrator constant. Further, according to the present invention, since the toner sensor itself is very small and inexpensive, the device is simple, the pace is reduced, the cost is reduced, and the reproducibility is also greatly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a change in photocurrent value with respect to the light transmittance of the toner sensor.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cleaning device, 2 ... Toner conveyance auger, 3 ... Exhaust toner, 4 ... Collection bottle, 5 ... Toner detection unit, 6, 12
… Toner sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toner collecting device of an image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning device 1 collects the waste toner scraped off from a photoconductor into a collecting bottle 4, and the collecting bottle 4 receives a certain amount of light or vibration. A toner recovery device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: toner sensors 6 and 12 each comprising an input means for applying an input and a detection means for detecting the input via a recovery bottle 4.